Born in Wrington (village), Somerset (county), England (country)
Highly respected scholar
"Father of Liberal Philosophy"
Major Works
"Two Treatises of Civil Government" published in the early 1680's
"An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" published in 1690
Establishes the principles for modern Empiricism
"He writes that we can be certain that God exists, and be as certain of mortality as we are of mathematics, because we create moral and political ideas" (egs.edu)
Challenges the rationalist view of innate ideas
"Some Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering of Interest" published in 1691
"Some Thoughts Concerning Education" published in 1693
"Further Considerations" and "The Reasonableness of Christianity" published in 1695
Philosophy
All our thoughts and ideas issue from that which we have taken in through the senses
Before we perceive anything, our mind is a tabula rasa (empty slate)
When we start to sense things (smell, taste, feel, etc.) as infants, simple ideas of sense arise
When these single ideas get worked on by thinking, doubt, reasoning and doubting, he calls them reflection
Went to Oxford to study medicine
Became a physician for Lord Ashley in London
Parents are Puritans* which influenced his upbringing
*-Group of Protestants in the 16th and 17th century
"Leader of the Enlightenment Age"
Fathered Classical Liberalism
Favored Descartes' teachings over Aristotle's
Beliefs
Equal rights for all and freedom of religion
King of England saw it as a challenge to his authority
King exiled Locke from England, and Locke lost everything he had worked for
"Locke wrote and developed the philosophy that there was no legitimate government under the divine right of kings theory." (let.rug.nl)
He saw that the reason government is established is to protect the life, liberty and property of a people
Government protects the natural rights* of human beings
Used in the Declaration of Independence
Ideas from his philosophy were used by the North American colonies in their revolution from England
*- Life, liberty and property
We learn through experience
Death
Lived in Oates in Essex in the home of Sir Francis
General Knowledge